Royal costumes on parade in Hue

HANOI, April 14 (VNA) - An exhibition of 54 paintings that feature clothing used for grand ceremonies by the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) opened in Hue imperial city, central Thua Thien-Hue province, on April 11. The original paintings were done by outstanding intellectual and artist Nguyen Van Nhan in 1902, 100 years after the crowning of the dynasty's first king. The paintings were collected by researcher Tran Dinh Son, who has published a photo book introducing Nhan's paintings. Through the paintings, people can see how the royal family and mandarins dressed up for grand ceremonies conducted in feudal times, including royal costumes and gowns. Nhan's captions for the paintings were in Han characters and French. The exhibition is open at the Lieu Quan Buddhist Centre, 15A Le Loi Street until April 19.-VNA